Book



Oct. 20, 1936. 31 TAYLOR 2,058,272

' BOOK Filed Aug. 20, 1935 I v "INVE TOR 'ATTORNEY.

Patented Oct. 20, 1936 Boon Robert B. M. Taylor, Newark, N..J., assignor, by

mesne ents, to

Paralle'x Corporation,

' 7 Newark, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application August 20, 1935, Serial No. 36,941

3 Claims. (01. 281-25) The invention relates to books, and more particularly to a type of book in which the leaves of a book are provided with a sequence of spaced openings through which a continuous wire.

5 strand, formed in a sequence of loops, is threaded to prevent separation of the leaves and permit movement of each leaf about the loops away from the other leaves, so that all leaves lie flat at all times.

The type of book to which the invention relates is extensively used at the present time, the wire strand being in the form of a continuous spiral threaded through; the openings in the collated leaves by a turning of the spiral. With this construction, there is flikelihood of accidental turning of the spirallywound wire in the same direction as when threading it through the leaves, or in the reverse direction, causing disengagement of the wire from the leaves toward one end thereof, and projection of an end of the spiral beyond a side edge of the book. Various methods of preventing such turning of the spirally wound wire have been devised, the most common being a reverse turning of a; straightened end of the wire to form a stop engageable with the leaves. a

All so-called spiral book bindings are objectionable in that the axial trend of the loops imparts sidewise movement to the leaves as they are being turned, so that the'side edges of the turned leaves are out of allnement with each other and with the side edges of the unturned leaves.

With a rapid turning of leaves, this lateral trend or sidewise movement has a tendency to tear the leaves adjacent the openings through which the wire has a loose running fit, particularly if light-weight or poor quality paper he used in the book;

To correct this condition, I have heretofore produced a binder, described in my co-pending 40 application, Serial No. 20,142, filed May 7, 1935, in which the back of a book cover is provided with a strip having transversely extending cuts, or diagonally positioned openings, engaged with succeeding loops of a spirally wound wire and having a degree of obliquity less than that of each loop of the spiral, so that the portions of each loop of the spiral above the strips will be so warped as to be a substantially true are of a circle, adjacent arcuate portions being connected by a diagonal section confined by the strip and having a different pitch from the original spiral loop. I have also produced a binder, described in my co-pending application Serial No. 22,495, filed May 21, 1935, in which true circular arcuate 5,5 portions are produced in the wire by flattening a portion of each loop at the back of the book, producing a chord of a length in excess of a chordof the loops of the original spiral.

The books I have heretofore produced, which are immediately above referred to, have been sat- 5 isfactoryin use. The former, however, is suitable only with a book having a stiff back for the cover, and the elongated chords of the latter also stiffen the back of a book. With some books,

a stiff back is not desired or desirable.

With the above conditions in mind, I have now produced a book affording a highly flexible back about which each leaf of a book may turn freely, thus permitting both covers to lie flat upon a desk while the leaves are being turned, or to be 15 spread, easel-like, while permitting leaves to be turned about the loops from adjacent the back to adjacent the front cover. It will be understood that to secure an easel effect, stiii board covers must be used. 20

In a book embodying the invention, each loop of the binder wire has a true circular portion, and oblique or diagonal curved sections, which are of the same diameter as the circular portion, the oblique or diagonal portions of each loop merg- 2 ing into similar sections of adjacent loops.

The wire of each loop has a permanent set, and retains its form without the aid of strips or other means embodied in the back of the book cover. The continuous curvature of each loop 30 permits a free runof the book covers and leaves about the loops, and the change from a truecircular trend to an oblique or diagonal trend makes turning of the wire binder in an assembled book so diilicult as to preclude likelihood of accidental 35 creeping of the looped wire sidewise of the book in the manner above referred to.

Furthermore, there is no lateral or sidewise trend thereof when turning the leaves, and the tendency of the paper to tear, adjacent the open- 40 ings therethrough, is eliminated with ordinary careful handling of the leaves.

If desired, each end of each binder wire may be looped upon itself and secured to the end loopas an additional safeguard against creep- 45 ing of the wire.

The book may embody therein a durable cover having aback board hinged to the cover board I and provided with quickly releasable means cooperating with the oblique portions of the binder 50 wire loops to secure the bound leaves within the cover and permit the separation of such leaves therefrom, and the substitution therefor of other bound leaves. I

The invention consists primarily in a book emcircular portion and merging into the oblique portions of adjacent loops; and in such other novel features of construction and combination of parts as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a top view of a book embodying the invention removed from the durable cover;

Fig. 2 is a top view thereof with leaves in the open position;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the binder wire, removed from the leaves;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of an open, durable cover with the attaching means opened; and

Fig. 5 is a view showing the original form of the binder wire and illustrating the manner of giving a permanent set to the loops in their finished form.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, a book of collated sheets is shown at l0, each of said sheets having a sequence of openings therethrough positioned adjacent one edge thereof. These openings are equally spaced from each other, and those: in each sheetare in register with those in every other sheet.

Said sheets are bound together by a strand of wire having, in the length thereof, a sequence of loops l2 so spaced from each other as to pass through the openings ll of all collated leaves.

The diameter of each loop l2, and the gauge of the wire used are such as to alford a free movement of any sheet, when the book is opened, about the loops, this movement being through substantially 180 in are or more.

Each loop |2 may be considered as having one portion l3 of a length of approximately 180, of approximately true circular form, and occupying a plane perpendicular to the axis of the turning movement of the leaves, and two end portions l4 and I5 of approximately each. The portions of each loop are oppositely pitched and extend obliquely to the axis of the portion |3 of the loops from opposite ends of the circular portion until they merge into the end portions of adjacent loops. With this construction, all circular portions I3 are in parallel planes at right angles to the axis of said portions l3, and all portions l4 and I5 are in parallel planes extending obliquely or diagonally of the axis of said circular portions l3.

The axis of the portions l3v of each loop is indicated in Fig. 3 by the dotted line Hi.

In producing a book embodying the invention, the wire strand is spirally wound and threaded through the openings II in the leaves I, as with an ordinary spiral book binding. Fairly soft drawing wire stock is used in lieu of hardened wire. After the leaves are connected, or the spirally wound strand has been applied tothe leaves, the back of the book is fed to a machine in a position to bring opposite portions of the loops of the spirally wound binder wire into engagement with two racks l1 and I8. The fingers of these racks engage all'loops of the spiral. The racks l1 and I8 then receive simultaneous longitudinal movement in opposite directions. The movement of the racks bends the wire and gives it a permanent set. During the bending action, the portion of the wire engaging the leaves is brought into a true circular form, extending throughout about in arc. The portion of each loop adjacent one end of the true circular portion is forced by one rack in one direction, and the portion adjacent the other end is forced by the other rack in the opposite direction. With this action, the degree of obliquity of the portions of all loops projecting beyond the edge of the If desired, after or before the warping or twisting operation, the opposite ends of the binder wire strand may be given a reverse bend and twisted about the wire of the last loop, as shown at l9, as a safeguard supplementing the action of the true circular portion of each loop in preventing creeping of the binder wire.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a durable cover with which leaves, bound as heretofore described, may be used as refills. This cover comprises a back board 20, having permanently secured thereto a strip 2| of metal having its opposite longitudinal edges turned, as shown at 22, to form edge channels for a sliding tongue member 23 at one end of the strip 2|, said member having an elongated slot 24- therein. The strip 2| has an immovable tongue 25 at the end thereof opposite to the sliding tongue 23. The tongue 25 and the tongue of the member 23 extend over the strip 2| and project toward each other, being spaced from the strip a distance approximating the diameter of the binder wire.

The strip 2| is secured to the back board 20 by rivets 26, one of which passes through the slot 24, which slot is closed at both ends so as to limit the movement of the tongue member to prevent-its escape from the strip 2|. If desired, the immovable tongue 25 may be made of scrap from the strip 2| and secured in place by one of the rivets 26.

Cover boards 21 and 28 are hinged to the opposite edges of the back board 2|, so as to permit both cover boards and the back board to be posi tioned in the same plane while the book is opened.

With cheaper books, heavy cover boards are collated with the leaves III.

A book as herein described may be quickly produced, and at small cost. If a durable cover be used, it is merely necessary to slide the tongue member 23 outwardly, lengthwise of the strip 2|, insert the loops l2 at one end of the binder wire between the fixed tongue 25, and slide the tongue member so as to engage the tongue carried thereby with loops at the other end of the binder wire.

Whether a durable cover be used or not, the collated leaves may be opened and closed without any substantial turning of the binder loops, and

each leaf turns about the axis of the circular portions B of the various loops without any sidewise 715 or axial trend, and without developing tearing stresses upon the paper between adjacent openings H.

If a durable cover be used, the tongues 23 and 25 may slide upon the arcuate end portions l4 and I5, thus eliminating the rigidity in the structure of the back of the cover which is present in the binders made the subject matter of my two applications herein referred to.

The essential characteristic of a book embodying the invention is the use of a wire of soft or half hard drawing metal formed in a sequence of spaced loops, the material of the wire being formed and given a permanent set so that each loop has a true circular portion and oblique end portions, as described.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to wire of any particular gauge, loops of any particular diameter, or to any particular degree of obliquity in the loop end portions by which the number of loops per inch is determined, since such may be varied in adapting the binder to books of difierent sizes.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, is:-

1. A book embodying therein collated leaves, each having a sequence of spaced openings adjacent one edge thereof, and a strand of wire having, in the length thereof, a sequence of loops passing through said openings, each loop consisting of a true circular portion in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the turning movement of the leaves passing through said openings, and oblique arcuate portions extending across the edge of the leaves at the back of the book from opposite ends of the circular portion and merging into the oblique portions of adjacent loops.

2. A book embodying therein collated leaves, each having a sequence of spaced openings adjacent one edge thereof, and a strand of soft wire having, in the length thereof, a sequence of loops passing through said openings, each loop consisting of a true circular portion in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the turning movement of the leaves passing through said openings, and oblique arcuate portions extending across the edge of the leaves at the back of the book from opposite ends of the circular portion and merging into the oblique portions of adjacent loops.

3. A book embodying therein collated leaves, each having asequence of spaced openings adjacent one edge thereof, and a strand of wire having, in the length thereof, a sequence of loops passing through said openings, each loop consisting of a true circular portion in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the turning movement of the leaves passing through said openings, and oblique armate portions extending across the edge of the leaves at the back of the book from opposite ends of the circular portion and merging into the oblique portions of adjacent loops, the ends of the wire being reversibly bent and twisted about the wire of the end loops.

ROBERT B. M. TAYLOR. 

